Ibm`s Boca Unit Seeks New Leader

International Business Machines Corp. is looking for a new site manager for its 5,500-person Entry Systems Division in Boca Raton, which spearheads research and development of its personal computers.

Richard L. Daubenmire, vice president of manufacturing for the division plans to retire after a 27-year career with IBM.

IBM said it would name a successor when Daubenmire retires at the end of the month.

Former IBM employees speculated that Brian Utley, vice president and lab director for the division, would be named to the position. Sources said that adding another executive would run counter to IBM`s emphasis on more streamlined and less centralized management in the past three years.

IBM would not comment on the reports.

Daubenmire spent nearly three years in his latest post. Rather than move from Boca Raton to Raleigh, N.C., where IBM transferred all its personal computer manufacturing operations in the past year, Daubenmire chose to supervise the consolidation from Boca Raton so he could retire there, he said.